U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Francis Fannon, Australia's Ambassador to the United States Arthur Sinodinos, Botswana's Minister of Mineral Resources and Green Technology Lefoko Moagi, Canada's Associate Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Shawn Tupper, Peru's Deputy Minister of Mines Jaime Galvez, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Manuel Talavera recently signed the Energy Resource Governance Initiative (ERGI) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the
has highlighted.
Thus, they officially welcome Botswana and Peru as founding partners.
According to the
State Department, the five countries recognize the increasing global demand for critical energy minerals in the coming years, and the MoU puts forth the essential framework for cooperation to effectively meet the demand.
"The
Energy Resource Governance Initiative (ERGI) promotes sound mining sector governance and resilient energy mineral supply chains. This initiative brings countries together to advance governance principles, share best practices, and encourage a level playing field for investment," it stressed.
In the virtual signing ceremony, the representatives highlighted key accomplishments of the initiative, including the establishment of a robust online toolkit (
ERGI.tools), an open-source resource for countries that want to move toward better mining practices, and the inclusion of ERGI principles as criteria in Development Finance Corporation funding decisions.
Editor's note: Based on information provided by the U.S. Embassy in Peru.